How To Be More Creative: A Handbook For Alchemists
April 5th, 2009
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It’s hard to say exactly what separates us from the animals. For now, I’m going to say creativity. That’s not perfect, but creativity separates us from all but dolphins, chimpanzees, Lassie, and the loosely-based-on-reality velociraptors in Jurassic Park.
In order to write this post, I unfortunately had to take a break from playing Sokoban, one of the many creativity-inducing resources that Marelisa Fabrega points us to in her new ebook. See, the thing about creativity is that it takes you into the flow state. And once you get there, you don’t want to leave.
But it wouldn’t be very nice of me to keep these secrets all to myself, would it? And so I’m taking a break for just long enough to tell you about this ebook called How to Be More Creative: A Handbook for Alchemists.
Anytime I hear someone saying that there’s nothing new out there anymore, or everything that can be done has been done, I want to smack them. Creativity has taken us from apes to where we are now, and it continues to take us forward every day. But people often limit themselves by thinking that creativity is reserved for a select few.
I completely agree with Marelisa that creativity is not something that either you have or you don’t. Everyone has it, but it’s a skill that needs to be developed to its potential. And the more you train your creativity, the more you can do with it, whether it’s in the form of making more money, writing a novel, cooking better meals, entertaining yourself, or doing any of those other things that separate us from the animals.
The only concern I had is that since Marelisa has already written so much about creativity on her blog, I wondered if there would be enough new material in her ebook. And yes, there is. She’s included information from some of her best posts, but she also has lots of new info, stories, tips, examples, and enough fun and informative resources to take your creativity as far as you want to take it.
How to Be More Creative: A Handbook for Alchemists is something you can start putting into practice right away. It’s reminded me that I need to start using my Moleskine notebook the way Leonardo da Vinci would. (Which I’ll get right on, as soon as I’m done with Sokoban!)
April 5th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Marelisa has shown herself to be quite quite knowledgeable on the subject of creativity. I’m sure it’s a worthwhile e-book.
Creativity for blogging is essential since standing out is the only way to rise above the millions of others.
I like what Jon Marrow of Copyblogger says in an article of his. Something to the effect: There are better writers out there, I’m just better at being interesting.
Really… interesting is what engages an audience. It’s the currency of the blogosphere.
Bamboo Forest – PunIntended´s last blog post..Why Do People Clap in Movie Theatres?
April 5th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
“I completely agree with Marelisa that creativity is not something that either you have or you don’t. Everyone has it, but it’s a skill that needs to be developed to its potential.”
This is something I wasn’t aware of – I always assumed some people are creative while others aren’t. Reading Marelisa’s blog taught me that everyone is creative but most of us don’t develop it.
Vered – MomGrind´s last blog post..Suffering For Beauty
April 5th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
@ Bamboo Forest, blogging (or any kind of writing) is a great example of where creativity can help you. No one wants to read someone who doesn’t stand out.
That line by Jon Morrow sounds like something Tony Robbins said: “I have a Ph.D. in results.” It’s not about creativity, but about the importance of education in the real world. However, it’s a very creative line!
@ Vered, there are certainly different levels of natural creativity in different people. But if you think about it, every first grader is an artist. Many of us stop developing our creativity as we grow up, but we can always start again.
I also think there are many different kinds of creativity, so someone who’s not naturally good at one type may overlook their talents in another area.
April 6th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Hi Hunter: Thank you for taking the time to review my ebook, even if you had to stop playing Sokoban in order to do so
Recently I’ve hit a couple of obstacles on some things I’m trying to achieve, but instead of letting those obstacles stop me I’ve found creative ways to start moving around them. I find that the more I research and write about creativity, the more creative that I become.
Marelisa´s last blog post..Creative Insights From the Worldwide Web
April 6th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
@ Marelisa, good to see you practice what you preach.
June 19th, 2009 at 7:24 am
[...] Hunter from “HunterNuttall.com” posted a review of my ebook here. [...]
September 6th, 2009 at 11:48 am
[...] Hunter from “HunterNuttall.com” posted a review of my ebook here. [...]